System of multiple-rate metering.



Patented Sept. H, I900.

E. OXLEY.

SYSTEM OF MULTIPLE RATE METERING.

(Application filed July 31, 1899.)

2 SheetsSheet 14f (No Model.)

[MMW

Invenoo'r Eusoace Oode \Nibnesses.

6mm d rmm in ,THE uonms zrzns momu'ma. wmnmumu, n. c.

No. 657,828. Patented Sept. ll, I900. E. OXLEY. SYSTEM OF MULTIPLE RATE METERING.

(Application filed July 31, 1899.] (No Model.) 2 Sheets$haet 2.

- Invent or.

Bustace Oadeg am/51L;

ms NORRIS Pzrzns ca. PNOTO-L1THO., wAsnmo'ron, n. c.

STATES PATENT ()FEICE.

EUSTACE OXLEY, or LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, ssre oE TO THE GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF NEW YORK.

SYSTEM OF MULTIPLE-RATE METERING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 657,828, dated September 11, 1900.

Application filed. July 31, 1899. Serial No. 725,603. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: may be integrated or charged for at different Be it known that I, EUsTACE OXLEY, a subrates. The controlling-circuit is so arranged ject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing that when a given rate of registration is esat Lynn, in the county of Essex and State of tablished any change of the connections on 55 5- Massachusetts, have invented certain new the part of the consumer to change the meter and useful Improvements in Systems of Mulconnections so as to alter the rate will be tiple-Rate Metering, (Case No. 976,) of which immediately corrected by automatic action the following is a specification. .and if not corrected will leave a visible indi- My present invention relates to controlling cation at the controlling-station of the change 60 I systems for multirate electric meters, the obof connections. I effect the result by project being to permit the meters to be set for viding at the consumers station and at the different registering rates from a controllingcontrolling point electromagnetic devices point accessible to an employee of the supply mutually responsive by which a change of company and to automatically insure theconthe meter connections at a consumers station 65 I tinuance of the desired rate' of registering will operate an electromagnetic controller at until changed from said controllingpoint the controlling station, which produces a irrespective of fraudulent interference on the change in the controlling-circuit and resets part of a consumer with the metering appathe meter-circuits t0 the position of last adratus. justment by a switch at the controlling-sta- 7o In systems of current distribution or suption.

ply it is desirable to encourage the use of cur- The several features of novelty will be more rent during periods when the load is light, so particularly described hereinafter and will as to promote a higher efficiency in the operabe definitely indicated in the claims. tion of the system, and to this end it is the In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is 75 practice with some supply companies to ina diagrammatic view of a system embodying stall at the consumers station metering apmy improvements. Fig. 2 is a rear sectional paratns having difierent rates of registration, view of an indicator employed at the central the registration during periods of light load station,and Fig. 3 is a face View of the same. on the system being slower than under con- I have shown the system in Fig. 1 as ap- 80 3o ditions of average or maximum load, thereby plied to an ordinary three-Wire distributing giving the consumer a discount for current system. This is done, however, merely by consumed during periods of light load. In way of example, as the improvements may be such systems some system of control must be applied to any system of distribution. provided in order to change the meter con- 1 represents a group of lamps or other-cur- 85' 3 5 nections so as to effect a change of registrarent-consuming devices employed at the contion. Ihaveheretofore devised and patented sumers station fed through a meter 2. This various methods of efiecting this result. In meter may be of any approved type. As my present invention I provide an independshown, it is of the well-known Thomson reent control-circuit extending from a controlcording-wattmeter type, in which a field-mag o ling-point to the point or points at which the net is energized by the current fed to the multirate-meters are installed, and through translating devices and the armature is in the influence of such control-circuit I cut into shunt across a pair of the supply-Wires, said operation one or the other of two meters or shunt being controlled by an electromagnetic registering devices connected with the condevice for cutting in resistance, so as to vary 9 5 sumer s circuit and having diiferent registerthe registering rate of the meter, or, if preing rates or I vary the registering rate of a ferred, two independent meters adjusted, prisingle meter. I employ the term multiplemarily, for different rates may be employed rate or multirate meter throughout this or one meter with a plurality of dials, as is specification to designate any organization in Well understood in the art. 10c which the consumption of current during dif- 3 represents a fixed resistance interposed ferent periods at times of high and low load in the shunt-circuit, and 4 an auxiliary resistance which slows'down the rate of registering when it is cut into the shunt-circuit. This change is controlledby an armature 5, carrying a switch-blade adapted to engage either of a pair of contacts 6 6*, connecting, respectively, with the terminals of the auxiliary resistance 4:. The position of the armature is controlled by two magnets 7 7 the coils of which have a common connection with the switch-blade of the armature 5 and are respectively connected at the other terminal with two wires 8 8 of a control-circuit leading from the consumers station to a suitable controlling-point. (Shown in this instance as the central station.) At such controllingpoint is installed a switch 9 9, which may be hand-controlled, as indicated in the diagram, by which either control-wire may be connected with a corresponding wire 10 10 terminating in two contacts 11 11*, cooperating with the switch blade 12. The position of this switch-blade is controlled by two magnets 13 13, which may be mounted on a common frame, but should be magnetically insulated at the yoke, which maybe conveniently done by forming the yoke of brass or some other diainagnetic material. One set of terminals of the magnet-coils connect, respec- Lively, with the control-wires and the other set lead by a common connection to one of the supply-wires. (Shown in this instance as a neutral wire.)

The controlling-magnet may with advantage be housed in an inclosing case provided with a window, through which may be displayed an indication as'to its position of adjustment. As shown in Fig. 2, this may be efiected by mounting on the standard which supports the switch-blade 12 a strip or segment having the words Night and Day painted or otherwise marked thereon in such position that one or the other of the words will be displayed through the window, according to the position of the switch-blade. The hand control-switch may be mounted on the face of the apparatus, and the whole may be supported upon a switchboard or any other suitable part of the station.

In the position of the parts shown in Fig. 1 the auxiliary resistance 4is cut out, and the motor is therefore registering at a high rate. When the low-rate period arrives, the switch 9 9 is shifted to the right, thus disconnecting the control-wire .8 and connecting the control-wire 8 with. wire 10. Potential is thus thrown from a live wire of the system upon the control-wire and connects with a point of lower potential, as the negative wire, over two branches, one including the coil 13 and the other including the coil 7'" of the meter-controlling switch. Thus the meter connections will be changed and the resistance 4 cut in, changing its rate of registration. Simultaneously the magnetic device at the controlling-station is changed and the circuit-changer 12 is shifted into engagement with contact 11*.

Let us suppose that in the condition shown in the drawings the consumer should fraudulently attempt to change the meter connections, so as to put his meter on a slower rate during full-load period. He might accomplish this by electrically connecting one of the live wires of the system with one of the connections of coil 7 the passage of current to the neutral wire energizing such coil and shifting his meter-controlling device to the open stop 6, and thereby cutting resistance into the meter-circuit; but such connection will throw potential upon control-Wire 8, and a branch current will pass through the magnet 13 at the controlling-station to the neutral wire, thereby throwing the switch-blade 12 to contact 11. Immediately on the engagement of these contacts the control-wire 8* is brought into communication with the potential-main 1 of the system, thereby sending the current to the neutral wire 2 by two branches, one including the magnet 13 and the other including the magnet 7 at'the consumers station, thereby restoring circuitchangers 5 and 12 to the position in which they were last set by the controlling operator. The consumers controlling device will of course in practice be housed within an inclosure to which the consumer has no access for hand manipulation of the switch-arm. Any temporary accidental condition of the circuits of a similar character would have a similar action upon the apparatus to that just considered, while a permanent derange ment of the circuit would give notice at the controlling-station of the change by the position of the indicator shown in Fig. 2. It will thus be seen that I provide a control-circuit extending from a controlling-point to the consumer or consumers stations, in which is interposed electromagnet apparatus mutually responsive by which a disturbance of .the consumers meter-circuit will act upon the apparatus at the central station and change the controlling connections, so as to restore the subscribers meter to the position at which it was set before the disturbance arose.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. A meter system, comprisingasupply-circuit, a multirate metering device, means for fixing its rate of registration from a distant point of control, and a control-circuit for automatically restoring when disturbed the rate for which it is set.

2. A metering system, comprising a supplycircu'it,cu rrent-consumin g devices, and a multirate metering device at the consumers station, a control-circuit extending to said station from a distant point, electromagnetic devices operated by said control-circuit for changing the rate of meter registration, and an electromagnetic device at the control-station responsive to a change of the meter connections and adapted to restore them it changed independently of the control-station.

3. An electric metering system, comprising a supply-circuit, cu went-consuming devices, a multirate metering device, a control-circuit for changing the rate of meter registration, and a magnetic device in said circuit respon sive to an irregular change of the meter connections, for connecting the control-circuit to restore such connections.

4. An electric metering system, comprising a supply-circuit, current-consuming devices, multirate metering apparatus, a control-circnit therefor extending to a control-station, a meter-switch operated thereby, and a circuitchanger at the control-station, responsive to a change of said switch to automatically vary the control-circuit and restore said switch if abnormally shifted.

5. A three-wire electric metering system, comprising a supply-circuit, current-consuming devices, a two rate metering apparatus,

a magnetically-controlled circuit-changer for such apparatus between the control-wires and the neutral wire, determining the rate of registration, two control-wires extending to a controlling-station for operating said circuitchanger, a switch at the control-station for' energizing any desired control-wire, a magnetic circuit-changer at the control-station in the control circuit, and contacts operated thereby to connect the potential wire with the open control-wire if the meter circuit-changer be operated independently of the controlswitch.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 27th day of July, 1899.

EUSTAOE OXLEY.

Witnesses:

DUGALD MCKILLOP, JOHN MCMANUS. 

